Different Names for the Same Thing
by c. sherwood
Summary: SEDDIE. They don’t plan a lot for the last iCarly, even though Spencer spent six hours redialing the Seattle Zoo trying to get a lion or “at the very least, man, a penguin. Can you not lend me one little penguin?” .


_different names for the same thing_

PG

_iCarly_

1700 words

Sam/Freddie

Future-fic:_ They don't plan a lot for the last iCarly, even though Spencer spent six hours redialing the Seattle Zoo (trying to get a lion or "at the very least, man, a _penguin_. Can you not lend me one little penguin?"), and Sam showed up at the apartment the day before with a bag full of firecrackers and a shifty look on her face. _

"It had to end eventually." Carly says, voice all soft and trembling at the ends of her words, and Freddie nods along, even though he's actually pretty sure that he would be fine with _iCarly _going on forever.

Sam doesn't say anything, and he looks up to see her huddled into the corner of Carly's sofa, knees drawn up to her chest. She's frowning at them, but it's different than Sam's normal You're _So_ Lucky I'm Not Kicking You Right Now frown, sadder. When she notices him looking, she sticks her tongue out at him.

"All good things must come to an end." he says, weakly, to no one in particular.

"That," Sam says, voice a little dead, "is the lamest thing you've ever said."

Freddie winces.

He could start a fight with her. He could mention _Tech Time with Freddie_, which probably actually contained the lamest thing he's ever said. It would distract Carly, at least, if they yelled at each other for awhile.

"Yeah." he says, faintly, not quite looking at either of them. "Yeah, probably."

XXXXXX

His mother has cried every day since the beginning of May, because he is apparently going to leave her forever after graduation and never call or visit or wash behind his ears, and because the world is a dirty, mean place and there are people out there just waiting to hurt him.

Freddie thinks college sounds exciting, in a scary, nauseating kind of way.

His mother thinks college sounds like a death wish.

XXXXXXX

"What do you think," Spencer says, when Freddie steps into their apartment, "about _lions_?"

Freddie looks at him.

"Not a lot?" he offers.

"No, but lions," Spencer continues, "for the last show. Lions. And rings of fire. Lions _jumping _through rings of fire."

"I don't think they would let us bring lions up here." Freddie says, smiling a little as he wanders towards the staircase. "Or rings of fire, actually. Is Carly around?"

"Upstairs with Sam." Spencer pauses, tilts his head to the side a little. "Would _you_ jump through a ring of fire?"

XXXXXXX

"Spencer's talking about lighting things on fire again." Freddie says, and Carly rolls her eyes from where she's sprawled out on the floor.

"I already told him nobody was jumping through a ring of fire." she says. "And that he couldn't swallow anything on fire. Or touch anything flammable."

"Boring." Sam adds, aimlessly, and Freddie glances up to see her sitting cross-legged under the window, a textbook open in her lap. She raises an eyebrow at him when he doesn't look away.

"Are you. . .doing homework?" he asks.

"Figured I might as well try it once." She shrugs. "Freak my teachers out."

"You know, it's hard to do math when you haven't been to class in four years. . ." he starts, and she chucks her pencil at his head, narrowly missing him.

"Don't be a dork," she says, and it's almost affectionate by this point, a smile tipping up the corners of her lips, "and, hey, come here. Tell me exactly what this whole algebra thing is."

XXXXXXXXXX

At some point, he ends up doing Sam's homework for her. He's not exactly sure how. He's still a little dizzy. And now Spencer has claimed Carly for some brother sister bonding time, because he's having just as a hard a time as Freddie's mom, only he's trying to hide it with enthusiasm and hugs and sculptures of Carly's head made out of Peppy Cola cans.

So, Sam vaguely invites him to the Groovy Smoothie, and they sit without saying much, making weird faces at each other over the table. Sam drinks her smoothie in three minutes and then steals the rest of his.

When they leave, their arms brush, and Freddie stupidly thinks about kissing her, three years ago.

XXXXXXXX

They don't plan a lot for the last _iCarly_, even though Spencer spent six hours redialing the Seattle Zoo (trying to get a lion or "at the very least, man, a _penguin_. Can you not lend me one little penguin?"), and Sam showed up at the apartment the day before with a bag full of firecrackers and a shifty look on her face.

It ends up being a complete blowout, though: Carly is full on weeping by the end of it, and Sam keeps swearing under her breath. They almost burn the apartment building to the ground. Freddie's not honestly sure how he's still grinning when it feels like his heart is breaking a little, when Carly pulls him in front of the camera and throws an arm around his waist, when he leans into Sam's side to say goodbye.

XXXXXXXX

"Oh my god, you _guys_." Carly says, once the camera's off. Her mascara is running down her face, and she's holding Sam and Freddie in a group hug that doesn't appear to have an end. He's crushed up against her chest with Sam's arm hooked around his neck, and if he were still fourteen, he would be really, really happy right now, but he can honestly say that he mostly stopped feeling that way about Carly about the 500th time that she turned him down.

"Carly, Carly," Sam says, gasping for breath, "Carls, are you having an episode?"

"A little one." Carly admits, and Sam pulls away from her so Freddie can step back. Carly plucks at the front of his t-shirt and sniffs, looking back and forth between them before wailing softly.

"Right." Sam says. "I am going to get you some pie. You should go wash your face or cry into a pillow or something. Fredward, assistance?"

He's not sure why Sam needs assistance to get pie, since she's pretty remarkable at finding food all on her own, but he lets her grab his arm and pull him outside anyway. He doesn't do so well with crying girls, and he's not sure that Sam has working tear ducts. She's probably the safer bet.

XXXXXXX

They're a block away when Sam elbows him sideways into an alleyway. He stumbles and panics briefly that she's actually going to kill him, now that the show is over and he is no longer of any use to her. Then she presses up on her toes and breathes against his mouth, voice tight, "Don't. . .don't say _anything_" and kisses him.

This isn't like that first kiss, not at all. This is Sam shaking against him when his hands find their way to her waist, smoothing her t-shirt over her ribs. This is Sam breathing quiet and focused and completely unlike herself except for the way her fingers tug insistently at his hair.

"Are you." Freddie starts, into the then makes an embarrassing noise when her teeth scrape his lower lip. "Sam, are you _crying_?"

"I told you not to say anything." she says, taking a step back and glaring at him, eyes shiny. "Do you really want to die? Because I can make that happen."

His whole world view is kind of shattered right now, and he has to stop himself from talking when he steps forward and touches her elbow. She goes still, deadly still, and Freddie thinks hugging her might possibly be the bravest thing he will ever do. She's in a completely opportune position to knee him in uncomfortable places.

He does it anyway.

XXXXXXXX

They go back to the apartment and eat pie and talk about the good old days, and then Sam doesn't talk to him until graduation. Freddie spends a lot of time quietly freaking out and trying not to stare at her mouth. All through the graduation ceremony, he taps his foot nervously and sneaks glances at where Sam's sleeping through the inspirational Valedictorian speech.

It goes off pretty smoothly, though. Freddie only stumbles once on stage, and Carly's hair still looks perfect, even squashed under the cap. Sam wakes up in time to grab her diploma and make victory arms.

Gibby does manage to get his gown and shirt off, but the football team carries him offstage before he starts to dance.

XXXXXXXXX

That night, they all stay in Carly's room, and Sam sits as far away from him as possible. She follows Carly out whenever she leaves the room, and Freddie, Freddie is pretty sure that he is going _insane._

It's not that he even wants to kiss Sam more, it's just that he's still kind of shell-shocked from being shoved up against a brick wall, and that kind of has to mean something. And, also, there had been interesting noises and maybe tongue, and. Freddie might want to kiss her again.

Around two in the morning, he breaks.

"Okay, I have to talk to you," he says, scrambling to his feet, and Sam's looks up from the TV to give him a look that should make him want to run away. "Like, right now."

"What's happening?" Carly asks, raising her head from where she was half-asleep. "Did I miss something? I'm awake."

"Go back to sleep." Sam says, standing up slowly.

"Mmm." Carly murmurs. "Will Freddie be alive when I wake up?"

"I make no promises." Sam says, and Freddie is already walking outside, impressed that his limbs haven't started violently shaking yet.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Sam steps out next to him, she starts to say something, and Freddie steps forward so she stumbles backwards into the wall. He touches her shoulder, the sharp bone at her wrist, and he kisses her.

_Oh my god_, he thinks, when she settles against him and kisses him back, her fingers finding the back of his shirt and holding on.

"What the _hell_." she murmurs, and Freddie totally, totally agrees.


End file.
